Editorial: Swiftly find stellar superintendent

Finding a new superintendent for Moffat County School District probably will be the biggest decision the school board will make this fiscal year.

Editorial board:

Tom Cramer (absent), community representative

Jo Ann Baxter, community representative

Noelle Leavitt Riley, newspaper representative

Renee Campbell, newspaper representative

Amy Fontenot, newspaper representative

This week, the Craig Daily Press ran a story about how the school district, the board and representatives from Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates are handling the hiring process for replacing Superintendent Joe Petrone who will leave his position in June.

On Tuesday, the appropriate entities met to discuss the kind of person they’d like to see fill the position, and several important points were made, including that the new superintendent needs to hire quality teachers, focus on funding and have a real interest in the students and community.

Our view is that the new superintendent will need to be all of those things, especially a leader in garnering more funding for the district.

We know how important the search is, and we think that the sooner a new superintendent is hired, the better. It’s detrimental to get someone in place as soon as possible. An interim superintendent could really hurt the district, so we ask that the board and all those involved with the hiring process carefully and rapidly choose the best candidate.

Additionally, it’s vital that the community submits feedback to the school board and the associates helping with the search. Community members can take a survey at www.moffatsd.org until Dec. 31.

Take a moment this holiday season to submit your comments and be part of the superintendent search.

We’d also like to take a moment and commend Joe Petrone for all his hard work and dedication to Craig, the school district and its students. Throughout the years, he has put students first, worked on important legislative reforms, provided leadership statewide and within the community and has exemplified his dedication to Craig through his hard work. Thank you, Joe, for your hard work.

We’d also like to commend the committee for putting in the time and effort to look for a good fit for MCSD. Your work and the decision you make will have a huge impact on Craig, so we wish you well and ask that you pick the best candidate.